Implementation of augmented reality and location-based services to regional development

This article discusses an innovative concept of augmented reality and location-based services in regional development. The aim of this article is to present the approaches that led to the creation of dynamic data of the strategic parts of community development strategy in the local action groups of the Zlín Region in the Czech Republic. In total, data from 18 local action groups, which are located in the territory of the Zlín Region, were collected. These data were transformed into a tabulated form, and a web platform (developed by the Institute of Geonics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) was used to dynamically transform static data into dynamic ones. The output from this web platform is data that are ready for implementation into augmented reality applications (such as Layar or Wikitude) and can serve not only local action groups. Other potential subscribers are regions, micro-regions, as well as developers or citizens themselves. © 2017 WIT Press

Effect of chromatin on the repair of double-strand DNA breaks after cleavage by CRISPR/Cas and other programmable nucleases in plants

Plants are highly resistant to ionizing radiation, also thanks to a high-quality repair system for repairing double-stranded breaks. Double-strand breaks in plants are repaired by four repair pathways. Most often, double-strand breaks are repaired by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), which joins the broken ends without further processing. More accurate but slower and more complex is repair through homologous recombination (HR), which repairs the break using a homologous sequence. HR repair takes place preferentially in a region with active transcription and during the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. Alternatively, repair further proceeds through single-strand annealing (SSA) or Theta mediated end joining (TMEJ). Both pathways are based on short homology between the overlapping ends of the double-strand break. An often neglected part of repairs is the overcoming of repressive chromatin, which protects the genome from DNA damage and prevents access of nucleases but also acts as a barrier for repair proteins. This work summarizes the current knowledge about DNA repair in plants. Furthermore, describe the influence of chromatin not only on the repair but also on the activity of programmable nucleases used in genetic engineering, such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like...Rostliny mají velkou odolnost vůči ionizujícímu záření i díky kvalitnímu opravnému aparátu na opravu dvouvláknových zlomů. Dvouvláknové zlomy jsou v rostlinách opravovány čtyřmi hlavními drahami. Nejčastěji probíhá rychlá oprava pomocí nehomologního spojování konců (NHEJ), spojující konce DNA bez většího zpracování. Přesnější, zato pomalejší a složitější, je oprava prostřednictvím homologní rekombinace (HR) využívající k opravě dlouhé úseky homologního řetězce DNA. Využívaná je přednostně v oblasti aktivních genů během S a G2 fáze buněčného cyklu. Opravy probíhají dále skrze Theta zprostředkované spojování konců (TMEJ) a single strand annealing (SSA). Obě tyto dráhy jsou řízené kratší homologií mezi konci DNA vytvořenými dvouvláknovým zlomem. Často opomíjenou součástí oprav je i překonávání represivních vlastností chromatinu, který chrání genom před poškozením a přístupem nukleáz, ale zároveň brání i přístupu opravných proteinů. Tato práce shrnuje dosavadní znalosti o opravách DNA u rostlin a vlivu chromatinu ne pouze na ně, ale i na aktivitu programovatelných nukleáz využívaných v genovém inženýrství, jako jsou zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats / CRISPR associated (CRISPR/Cas). Klíčová...Katedra experimentální biologie rostlinDepartment of Experimental Plant BiologyFaculty of SciencePřírodovědecká fakult

The Role of Citizen Science and Deep Learning in Camera Trapping

Camera traps are increasingly one of the fundamental pillars of environmental monitoring and management. Even outside the scientific community, thousands of camera traps in the hands of citizens may offer valuable data on terrestrial vertebrate fauna, bycatch data in particular, when guided according to already employed standards. This provides a promising setting for Citizen Science initiatives. Here, we suggest a possible pathway for isolated observations to be aggregated into a single database that respects the existing standards (with a proposed extension). Our approach aims to show a new perspective and to update the recent progress in engaging the enthusiasm of citizen scientists and in including machine learning processes into image classification in camera trap research. This approach (combining machine learning and the input from citizen scientists) may significantly assist in streamlining the processing of camera trap data while simultaneously raising public environmental awareness. We have thus developed a conceptual framework and analytical concept for a web-based camera trap database, incorporating the above-mentioned aspects that respect a combination of the roles of experts’ and citizens’ evaluations, the way of training a neural network and adding a taxon complexity index. This initiative could well serve scientists and the general public, as well as assisting public authorities to efficiently set spatially and temporarily well-targeted conservation policies.Fotopasti jsou stále častěji jedním ze základních pilířů monitorování a řízení životního prostředí. I mimo vědeckou komunitu mohou tisíce kamerových pastí v rukou občanů poskytnout cenné údaje o fauně suchozemských obratlovců, zejména údaje o vedlejších úlovcích, pokud jsou vedeny podle již používaných standardů. To představuje slibné prostředí pro občanskovědní iniciativy. Zde navrhujeme možnou cestu pro sdružování izolovaných pozorování do jedné databáze, která respektuje stávající standardy (s navrhovaným rozšířením). Cílem našeho přístupu je ukázat novou perspektivu a aktualizovat nedávný pokrok v zapojení nadšení občanských vědců a v zapojení procesů strojového učení do klasifikace obrazu ve výzkumu fotopastí. Tento přístup (kombinující strojové učení a vstupy občanských vědců) může významně napomoci zefektivnění zpracování dat z fotopastí a současně zvýšit povědomí veřejnosti o životním prostředí. Vyvinuli jsme koncepční rámec a analytický koncept webové databáze fotopastí, zahrnující výše uvedené aspekty, které respektují kombinaci rolí hodnocení odborníků a občanů, způsob trénování neuronové sítě a přidání indexu komplexnosti taxonů. Tato iniciativa by mohla dobře posloužit vědcům i široké veřejnosti a také pomoci orgánům veřejné správy účinně stanovovat prostorově a časově dobře zacílené politiky ochrany přírody.Camera traps are increasingly one of the fundamental pillars of environmental monitoring and management. Even outside the scientific community, thousands of camera traps in the hands of citizens may offer valuable data on terrestrial vertebrate fauna, bycatch data in particular, when guided according to already employed standards. This provides a promising setting for Citizen Science initiatives. Here, we suggest a possible pathway for isolated observations to be aggregated into a single database that respects the existing standards (with a proposed extension). Our approach aims to show a new perspective and to update the recent progress in engaging the enthusiasm of citizen scientists and in including machine learning processes into image classification in camera trap research. This approach (combining machine learning and the input from citizen scientists) may significantly assist in streamlining the processing of camera trap data while simultaneously raising public environmental awareness. We have thus developed a conceptual framework and analytical concept for a web-based camera trap database, incorporating the above-mentioned aspects that respect a combination of the roles of experts’ and citizens’ evaluations, the way of training a neural network and adding a taxon complexity index. This initiative could well serve scientists and the general public, as well as assisting public authorities to efficiently set spatially and temporarily well-targeted conservation policies

Revitalising rural spaces: Lessons learnt from brownfield regeneration in a shrinking region

In the post-socialistic space, old, industrialised regions are not only dealing with problems with the regeneration of industrial brownfields but also with the occurrence of post-agricultural brownfields. The main objective of this paper is to identify and interpret how a successful network of cooperating actors was formed that participated in the process of transforming an agricultural brownfield into a successful rural business zone. From a methodological perspective, the article is based on the findings derived from a set of written memories with ten key actors who were involved in the redevelopment process. The studied regeneration project, which was implemented thanks to the successful cooperation of network of actors both from different hierarchical levels (local, regional and central level) and from the different sectors (public, private and non-profit sector), regenerated an area of 10.4 hectares thanks to both public and private investments of approximately CZK 240 million. Regeneration contributed to the creation of approximately 450 new jobs, and thanks to this project, the population in Třanovice also increased significantly in the transition period (1991–2021), which the studied community positively distinguishes from the shrinking urban centres and rural communities in the post-industrial neighbourhoods